Search results for ""the history press ltd""

From muddy creek to naval-industrial powerhouse; from constructing wooden walls to building Dreadnoughts; from maintaining King John’s galleys to servicing the enormous new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers: this is the story of Portsmouth Dockyard. Respected maritime historian Paul Brown’s unique 800-year history of what was once the largest industrial organisation in the world is a combination of extensive original research and stunning images. The most comprehensive history of the dockyard to date, it is sure to become the definitive work on this important heritage site and modern naval base.

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There is everyday magic in the tales of London. Some stories are swirling in the waters of the Thames; some are hidden in the old stones that lie beneath our modern pavements. In London Folk Tales for Children Anne and Sef have gathered stories from the words and memories of Londoners past and present. They tell of the mighty river, the streets, and the hills of London. You’ll find stories of babies that turn into flowers, of tower ravens and a two-headed bird, and a child who has to travel across the world all alone. You’ll also meet the people of this welcoming city: ever since the Romans, people have come here from all over the world to become Londoners. They’ve brought delicious foods, new music and hundreds of languages, but, most of all, great stories – London stories.

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Five years in the making, RMS Mauretania and her sister the Lusitania represented a new era in British shipbuilding. Ostensibly built to compete against record-breaking German behemoths, the Mauretania was not only one of the first major ships to be turbine-driven or have four propellers – she was the largest moving structure ever to have been created by man at that time. And, soon enough, she would become the fastest as well. But the Mauretania wasn’t just built for luxury. When war was declared in August 1914, she was pressed into service as a troop- and hospital ship. Where once she had carried society ladies, she now carried soldiers. Intensely researched and with over 100 photographs and illustrations, RMS Mauretania (1907): Queen of the Ocean is the definitive book on this most remarkable liner.

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Gwent teems with stories of magic and strange transformations above and below ground. To tell them afresh, storyteller Christine Watkins has searched out of darkness through a maze of mountain mist and salvaged a wisewoman’s ironstone from the river. Read on to discover how and why the star-browed ox walked through a dream, what happened when Pegws found herself without Reverend Ridge in Carmel Chapel, and how the owl flew in low over the foxgloves, trying to sense from which direction change might come . . . Gwent Folk Tales brings to life long-told tales and weaves them beautifully with stories told to the author by family members. Wonderfully illustrated and engaging, there is a tale for everyone.

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A wise man once said that cars move the body, but motorcycles move the soul. If you love motorcycles, you will understand the thrill of weaving in the fluid motion that only two wheels and a responsive engine can give. Of being on a fabulous road, with the warmth of the sun on your body, and the wind gently tugging at your clothes. Now imagine that you have built the bike of your dreams ... can you see it, hear it, feel it? Custom Rides is not only full of amazing photographs of gorgeous bikes, it also provides an insight into the mind of some of the world’s finest bike designers and builders, and the tools and equipment they use to get such special results. So settle down and enjoy the ride, as you feast your eyes and eat your heart out for all the beautiful bikes featured in this book.

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In the Victorian era, sensational ghost stories were headline news. Spine-chilling reports of two-headed phantoms, murdered knights and spectral locomotives filled the pages of the press. Spirits communicated with the living at dark séances, forced terrified families to flee their homes and caused superstitious workers to down their tools at the haunted mines. This book contains more than fifty hair-raising – and in some cases, comical – real life accounts from Wales, dating from 1837 to 1901. Unearthed from newspaper archives, they include chilling prophecies from beyond the grave, poltergeists terrorising the industrial communities, and more than a few ingenious hoaxes along the way.

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From the author of The Norfolk Story Book comes this book of delightful stories. Set sail for adventure on the stormy seas of Yarmouth, discover enchanting tales woven by strangers in Elizabethan Norwich, journey through the forests of ancient Norfolk with a courageous Iceni girl, travel through time with the curious kitten of Thetford, meet the King of a magnificent Norman Castle and find out what life was like in a Victorian Workhouse. Inspired by the museums throughout Norfolk Museums Service, this book consists of eight short stories, all original works of fiction which combine local history with imagination and fun.

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The Isle of Wight has a fiercely proud history with monarchs, merchants, militiamen, smugglers, soldiers and sons of the plough all leaving their indelible mark. Rescued from skips and found in boxes in attics, these pictures bring the Isle of Wight to life in a special way. With the majority of them never having been published before, these archive photographs with informative captions will be of great interest to all who know this fascinating island.

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Chester's vibrant history is uniquely captured in this collection of photographs, postcards and lantern slides from the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, showing how time has brought changes to Chester’s streets and recalling memorable events and celebrations. Rare glimpses of everyday life at school, work and play are accompanied by detailed and informative captions explaining the story behind the scenes. This book captures the historical spirit and charm of a city that embraces the past and looks towards the future, and is sure to appeal to residents and visitors alike.

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Visitors have been flocking to castles across the country for centuries to learn about their history and enjoy their splendour, and this collection of beautiful illustrations is a celebration of their unique appeal. From medieval fortresses and royal palaces to motte and bailey castles and loch-side ruins, each stunning scene is full of intriguing detail sure to fire the imagination and make you reach for your colouring pencils. There are absolutely no rules – you can choose any combination of colours you like to bring these images to life. Suitable for children. If you love castles, then you will love colouring them in!

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This unique and beautifully illustrated colouring book features images and scenes inspired by the ever-fascinating Tudor dynasty. It will provide hours of joy and relaxation, and is a great way to unwind after a hectic day. Quiet your mind and colour your way to peace, while nurturing your creativity and love of Tudor history. Suitable for children.

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Did Richard, Duke of York, the younger of the Princes on the Tower, survive his imprisonment? In this revealing new book medieval historian David Baldwin presents an original and intriguing scenario. On 27 December 1550 an old man named Richard Plantagenet was buried at Eastwell in Kent. He had spent much of his life working as a bricklayer at St John's Abbey, Colchester, but, unusually for a bricklayer, he could read Latin. Reluctant to give any account of his background, he eventually told his employer that he was a natural son of Richard III. Yet, if this was true, why was he not publicly acknowledged by the king? Richard III made provision for his other bastards, John of Gloucester and Katherine. The fact that he was called Richard Plantagenet is also revealing. Had he simply been Richard III's bastard, he would have been styled 'of Gloucester' or given the name of his birthplace. And, most tellingly of all, where is the evidence that Prince Richard actually died? David Baldwin opens up an entirely new line of investigation and offers a startling solution to one of the most enduring mysteries in English history and a final exoneration for Richard III.

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Each of these 101 strange and curious objects from British history has an extraordinary story to tell. Many royal possessions are inside, including the shirt of that Charles I was wearing when he was executed and Queen Victoria's dancing shoes, along with curiosities such as Darwin's walking stick, the last letter that Dickens ever wrote, the handwritten report (by the captain of the Carpathia) on the rescue of the Titanic's survivors and Emily Wilding Davidson's return ticket to Epsom. Each offers a fascinating snapshot of Britain's amazing history.

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The largest, most luxurious ship in the world, lost on her maiden voyage after colliding with an iceberg in mid-Atlantic, Titanic has become the stuff of legends. Built at the peak of the race between the British, French and Germans to build bigger and better ships, she was the achievement of 15,000 men in one of the world’s most advanced shipyards. While everyone knows the new White Star liner was the most glamorous and was full of millionaires when she sank, few appreciate just how luxurious she was or how advanced her design was for her day. For the first time, Bruce Beveridge, Scott Andrews, Steve Hall, Daniel Klistorner and Art Braunschweiger look in detail at the ship herself, how she was built and what it was like inside. From the engine rooms to the First Class parlour suites, from the Doulton water closets to the cargo cranes, every area of Titanic is presented in stunning detail. Volume One covers the design and construction of Titanic, with individual chapters detailing such diverse areas as the riveting of the ship, her heating and ventilation systems, funnels, steering and navigation systems and more. Volume Two covers the interior design and fitting out of the ship and presents detailed deck-by-deck information, from the palatial rooms of First Class to areas of the ship seen only by the crew.

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Pamela Jackson, née Mitford, is perhaps the least well known of the illustrious Mitford sisters, and yet her story is just as captivating, and more revealing. Despite shunning the bright city lights that her sisters so desperately craved, she was very much involved in the activities of her extraordinary family, picking up the many pieces when things went disastrously wrong – which they so often did. Joining her sisters on many adventures, including their meeting with Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany, Pamela quietly observed the bizarre, funny and often tragic events that took place around her. Through her eyes, we are given a view of the Mitfords never seen before. ‘Loyal to the core,’ she possessed ‘the constancy and kindness that underpinned the wilder exploits of the Mitford family. Indeed, innocence, along with courage and kindness, was one of her remarkable qualities. But it was the innocence of a woman who had lived and suffered, loved and lost, and overcome adversity’. Journalist Diana Alexander, who was Pamela’s friend for many years, here reveals the unknown Mitford, or, as her lifelong admirer John Betjeman described her, ‘Gentle Pamela’.

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Norwich has a rich and fascinating history. An important Anglo-Saxon market town at the time of the Norman invasion, it grew to become one of the leading cities of England by the early Middle Ages and second only to London in the 16th and 17th centuries. It retained its importance until the Industrial Revolution when, although it was overtaken in size by the new manufacturing towns, it maintained its reputation as one of the most radical and progressive of cities. In this book the author skilfully combines the latest historical and archaeological findings with a quarter century of original research into the city archives to provide a lively narrative together with a superb selection of illustrations. From its beginnings he describes the city’s growth and government and the many dramatic episodes in its life. He looks at the lives of many of its famous residents but, above all, describes the life of the ordinary people through the centuries– how they earned their livings, their living conditions, with problems of poverty and health, their schooling and how they enjoyed their leisure time. A recurrent theme in the book is the constant flow of people and ideas between Norwich and its neighbours on the continent of Europe. This book will be warmly welcomed by local historians, while its attractive style and presentation will ensure its popularity with the general reader, whether resident or visitor.

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For three centuries Portsmouth has been the leading base of the Royal Navy but the naval heritage of its port can be traced back to the Roman invasion of Britain. From the Roman walls of Portchester to the best-preserved Georgian dockyard in the world and the illustrious HMS Victory, Portsmouth is amongst the most important naval sites in the world. This fascinating book, in its new and fully revised edition, focuses on the history and present status of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard as well as the magnificent ships Victory, Warrior and Mary Rose that have been preserved and are now on display at Portsmouth. Drawing on impressive original research and illustrated by a host of colourful photographs, author Paul Brown has created a concise and helpful guide to the key maritime attractions in Portsmouth and Gosport, including the Submarine Museum, the sea forts, the Gunwharf and the commercial port.

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As night fell in Picardy on Thursday 24 October 1415, Henry V and his English troops, worn down by their long march in search of a crossing of the Somme, can only have dreamt that the battle of the next day would be remembered as one of the most momentous victories ever won. Six hundred years down the line, the battle of Agincourt still rings through the centuries. In this stupendous victory English and Welsh archers who formed the bulk of Henry’s army prevailed against large numbers of French men-at-arms and cavalry. This startling and revisionist history recreates the campaign and battle from the perspectives of the English. Acclaimed as one of the best battle accounts ever published, Anne Curry has updated her classic work in honour of the 600th anniversary of Agincourt.

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For an invention that has only been around for 200 years, the simple bicycle has changed the world in many ways. It democratised travel for the first time, allowing ordinary people to travel at reasonable speed without need of a horse, to commute further afield to work and to enjoy the benefits of the countryside. It has challenged social conventions, granting women a new-found freedom, and it has played an important role in wartime, whether used by British paratroopers or in Vietnamese supply lines. Today, despite the prevalence of the car, the bicycle is as important as ever, with more cycles appear on city streets each year. Bikes come in all shapes and sizes and the history of cycling is on of innovation in design: from Macmillan's first pedal-driven cycle to the eccentric Dursley Pedersen, and from the 1960s iconic Moulton to the free-styling BMX, the humble cycle continues to surprise and delight in equal measure. Illustrated in full colour with a wide range of photographs, The History of Cycling in Fifty Bikes tells the story of the bicycle through 50 iconic machines, starting with the first primitive wooden two-wheelers through to carbon-fibre super bikes and the designs of the future, celebrating sporting achievements, technological advances and world records along with way.

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Cricket Banter is all the rage among the cricketing cognoscenti and the chat, the sledging and the humour behind the game is all covered here, by those boys at The Middle Stump, in conjunction with Factor 50. Here we cover most aspects of cricket, as we speak with some of the finest, funniest, larger than life characters from the sport over the last thirty years, along with a selection of hilarious stories about the game. It’s a highly amusing book; read it and you’ll see why most cricketers, whether from club, county or international level, as well as the sport’s most prominent journalists are all talking about those cheeky chaps from The Middle Stump, and their alternative take on the game of cricket.

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Gas! GAS! Quick, boys! reveals for the first time the true extent of how chemistry rather than military strategy determined the shape, duration and outcome of the First World War. Chemistry was not only a destructive instrument of war but also protected troops, and healed the sick and wounded. From bombs to bullets, poison gas to anaesthetics, khaki to cordite, chemistry was truly the alchemy of the First World War. Michael Freemantle explores its dangers and its healing potential, revealing how the arms race was also a race for chemistry to the extent that Germany's thirst for the chemicals needed to make explosives deprived the nation of fertilizers and nearly starved the nation. He answers question such as: What is guncotton? What is lyddite? What is mustard gas? What is phosgene? What is gunmetal? This is a true picture of the horrors of the 'Chemists' War'.

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Once known as Forfarshire, Angus is an area full of rich contrasts, from the coastal towns and villages of Arbroath, Montrose, Carnoustie and Monifieth, to the glens on the fringes of the Highlands. Yet it is the hidden history of the ordinary, and not so ordinary, people of Angus in the course of their daily lives and work that is perhaps most compelling. This fascinating selection of over 200 images, drawn from the collection held at Angus Archives, features herring packers, seaside entertainers, tinkers, provosts, factory workers, raspberry pickers and fishwives, among others. It also provides a nostalgic insight into the changing history of the area over the last century. Each image is accompanied by a detailed caption, bringing the past to life and describing many aspects of life in these communities, including chapters on work, industry and local events, providing vital record of vanished vistas and past practices. This book will appeal to everyone with an interest in the history of Angus, and will also awaken memories of a bygone time for all who know this beautiful part of Scotland.

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Jostling for position in this cornucopia of the criminal and the curious are diverse tales of baby farmers, garrotters, murderers, poisoners, prostitutes, pimps, rioters and rebels. Other tales tell of those who walked the poverty-stricken streets of 'the abyss', trying to earn a few honest coppers by the most unusual and desperate occupations, from tater man to tosher. This colourful cast of characters is accompanied by accounts of prisons and punishments, as well as a liberal smattering of funerals, executions, disasters and bizarre events. If it's horrible, if it's ghastly, if it's strange, its here - and if you have the stomach for it, then read on.

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They don't make 'bad' cars any more, right? Well, maybe not, but there have been some real clunkers in years gone by, and this is the first book to celebrate them in all their awful glory. In this new edition, Giles Chapman presents to you "The Worst Cars Ever Sold", containing hundreds of rare pictures of these unreliable, rusty, hideous-looking and just plain mad machines, and thousands of fascinating and entertaining facts about them - some will surprise you, others you'll be all too familiar with. This book will take you back in time to when the family jalopy never failed to let you down, or that banger you bought from the local paper revealed its true character the moment you drove it - behold the worst cars ever sold and enjoy!

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Probably the most famous fighter aircraft of all time, the Supermarine Spitfire reigned supreme and unsurpassed from the biplane era to the dawn of the jet age, a period that included the Second World War. Here is the incredible story of this legendary aircraft, from its genesis in the 1930s to its continued presence at airshows and museums today.

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Continues from Engine Sheds in Camera (2005), which presented a record of engine sheds and motive power depots in Britain in the 1950s and '60s. This work returns to the same subject and includes a selection of black and white photographs, along with shed plans and extracts from contemporary logs that list engines on shed.

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The political and military history of the sixteenth century is well known, and much written about, but what of the thousands of women who have, for the most part, eluded the historian's pen? The Tudor Housewife aims to answer this question, providing a unique and accessible introduction to the everyday life and responsibilities of women from all levels of society in the age of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. With chapters on marriage, childbirth, the upbringing of children, washing and cleaning, food and drink, the housewife as doctor, women and business, and women and religion, Alison Sim reveals how women were expected to manage businesses as well as the household accounts, take extensive personal interest in the moral welfare of their children, administer medicine to their households and act as a helpmeet to their husbands in every aspect of life. This book unveils the powerful position of ordinary women in Tudor society and provides a captivating insight into their lives. Alison Sim is a freelance historian specialising in Tudor Housewifery skills. She has been featured on a number of Channel 4 history programmes, including Time Team, and has also written Pleasures and Pastimes in Tudor England for The History Press.

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The archaeology of death and burial is central to our attempts to understand vanished societies. Through the remains of funerary rituals we can learn not only about the attitudes of prehistoric people to death and the afterlife, but also about their way of life, their social organisation and their view of the world. This ambitious book reviews the latest research in this huge and important field, and describes the sometimes controversial interpretations that have led to rapid advances in our understanding of life and death in the distant past. A unique overview and synthesis of one of the most revealing fields of research into the past, it covers archaeology's most breathtaking discoveries, from Tutankhamen to the Ice Man, and will find a keen market among archaeologists, historians and others who have a professional interest in, or general curiosity about, death and burial.

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Jack Williams provides a thought-provoking examination of television's role in British popular culture.

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Storyteller is storïwr in Welsh. The old word is cyfarwydd. And this book is a sneaky peek into a storyteller's repertoire.Meet the rowdy mermaids and drowned lands of Cardigan Bay, an ancient tree with a door into the otherworld, and the wise old toad who lives in Borth bog and knows everything. Discover a clever girl who transforms into a swan, the herd of fairy cattle who live beneath Llyn Barfog and an elephant who may or may not have died in Tregaron.

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Ceredigion is a land shaped by mythology, where mermaids and magic mix with humans and where ordinary people achieve extraordinary things. This is a captivating collection of traditional and modern stories, including the submerged city of Cantre’r Gwaelod, or the ‘Welsh Atlantis’, how the Devil came to build a bridge over the Rheidol, the elephant that died in Tregaron, and how the Holy Grail came to Nanteos. All the while the tylwyth teg (the Welsh fairies) and changelings run riot through the countryside. Storyteller and illustrator Peter Stevenson takes us on a tour of a county steeped in legend, encountering ghosts, witches and heroes at every turn.

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Ivor Gurney is perhaps best known as a musician and First World War poet but he also wrote vividly and prolifically about his native Gloucestershire, finding inspiration and joy in walking the countryside and expressing its different moods. This book explores the particular Gloucestershire landscapes – the Cotswolds, the Severn Meadows and the city of Gloucester – that stimulated his creativity in poetry and music, but the relationship went much deeper. Gurney became increasingly dependent on ‘being-in’ these Gloucestershire places as the source of his identity and well-being. Confined to a mental asylum in Kent for the last fifteen years of his life, he still drew on his memories of Gloucestershire, but it was a poetry of absence and loss. This book contains a wealth of Gurney’s poetry with many pieces being published here for the first time. Other features aim to clarify the poetry/place dialogue and include an illustrated colour map, in which Ivor Gurney’s Gloucestershire has been interpreted by a map artist working closely with the author; a layered model of Gurney’s relationship with these places; and four walking routes, with accompanying commentaries and poetry extracts. The author is a geographer, literary researcher and walker. Having been born and brought up in Gloucestershire, she has a passion for its landscapes and places.

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The Little Book of Herefordshire is a compendium full of information which will make you say, ‘I never knew that!’ Contained within is a plethora of entertaining facts about Herefordshire’s famous and occasionally infamous men and women, its literary, artistic and sporting achievements, customs ancient and modern, transport, battles and ghostly appearances. A reliable reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped in to time and time again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage, the secrets and the enduring fascination of the county. A remarkably engaging little book, this is essential reading for visitors and locals alike.

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Taking the terrorist attacks of 9/11 as their starting point, five new essays look at how Jewish culture has changed over the past two decades. Covering music (Vanessa Paloma Elbaz), art (Monica Bohm Duchen), literature (Bryan Cheyette), theatre (Judi Herman) and film (Nathan Abrams), the essays explore the role of confidence in the cultural output of minority communities, and ask whether the trends identified look set to continue over the coming years.Commissioned to mark the twentieth anniversary of Jewish Renaissance magazine, the book includes a foreword by Howard Jacobson and is interspersed with a selection of the best articles from the magazine’s archive, including pieces by the director Mike Leigh, author Linda Grant and sociologist Keith Kahn-Harris.

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Southampton is undergoing something of a regeneration. A vibrant, dynamic and cultural heart to the city is emerging in its cultural quarter, with the imminent completion of a new arts complex bringing arts, heritage, entertainment, events and music to the forefront. Here professional photographer Rosie Windsor has captured the people of Southampton interacting with the old and new environment, with each other, and going about daily life. Set against a backdrop of interesting architecture, these photos depict Southampton at an exciting time in its development.

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This book contains hundreds of ‘strange but true’ stories about Scottish history. Arranged into a miniature history of Scotland, and with bizarre and hilarious true tales for every era, it will delight anyone with an interest in Scotland’s past.

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Audley End House in Essex - or Station 43 as it was known during the Second World War - was used as the principal training school for SOE's Polish Section between 1942 and 1944. Polish agents at the stately home undertook a series of arduous training courses in guerilla warfare before being parachuted into occupied Europe.In 1943, Audley End was placed exclusively under polish control, a situation unique within SOE. The training was tough and the success rate low, but a total of 527 agents passed through Audley End between 1942 and 1944. Ian Valentine has consulted a wide range of primary sources and interviewed Polish instructors and former agents who trained at Audley End to write the definitive account of this Essex country house and the vital but secret part it played in defeating Hitler.He examines the comprehensive training agents at Audley End and describes the work undertaken by Station 43's agents in Europe, set against the background of Polish wartime history. He also covers the vital link with the RAF's Special Duties squadrons, whose crews risked their lives dropping agents into occupied Europe. Station 43 breaks new ground in telling the hitherto until story of Audley End house and its role as a vital SOE training school.

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''The stories are all so very different, some of them being quite compelling and tender featuring an interesting variety of voices and nationalities with a wide range of characters and settings'' - Advolly RichmondA group of botanists in search of rare species dismiss local custom at their peril. Love in all its wildness and wonder is found clinging to crumbling chalk cliffs and growing through cracks on city streets. A scientist takes a radical step to understand her houseplant. A poet remembers her beloved flowers, and the longing for a magnificent tropical garden outlasts death.From tokens of love to neolithic burial gifts, bridal bouquets to seasonal wreaths and healing potions to artistic masterpieces, flowers and plants have a multitude of meanings and a long and complex relationship with us. They brighten our homes and delight us in garden and countryside, convey our emotions and symbolise the stages of our human lives.

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'Philippa Langley has done it again.' – THE TIMESA HISTORY HIT BOOK OF THE MONTHHistory re-written: has the 540-year-old mystery been solved?‘The totality of evidence revealed is astonishing. Following the discovery of King Richard III’s grave in a car park in Leicester in 2012, The Missing Princes Project will again rewrite the history books, redrawing what we know about Richard III and Henry VII and pressing the reset button of history.’ - Philippa LangleyIn the summer of 1483, two brothers were seen playing in the grounds of the Tower of London, where they’d been lodged by the King’s Council – their uncle, the future Richard III, its chief member. From there the boys seem to vanish from the historical record, and so one of the greatest and most intriguing mysteries of British history was born. Over the centuries, historians have debated tirelessly about the fate of Edward V and Richard, Duke of York: did they die in the Tower? Did they escape? Were they murdered?After astonishing success in locating and laying to rest Richard III, Philippa Langley turns her forensic focus onto this enduring case, teaming up with criminal investigative experts, historians, archivists and researchers from around the world in her groundbreaking The Missing Princes Project. Following years of extensive research, investigation and formidable dedication, this landmark study has finally reached completion, with stunning conclusions.In The Princes in the Tower: Solving History’s Greatest Cold Case, join Langley as she records the painstaking investigative work undertaken and lays out the evidence to reveal the remarkable untold story. Here she is able, finally, to address any injustice and solve the mystery surrounding the Princes in the Tower once and for all.Compelling in breadth and detail, this book asks its readers to re-examine what they thought they knew about one of our greatest historical mysteries. Perfect for fans of the period and the likes of Dan Jones, Philippa Gregory and Janina Ramirez.

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Curious Cotswolds takes the reader on a tour of the area, looking at the history, archaeology and curiosities of the Cotswolds. The author, a former Cotswolds policeman, describes points of interest to be found in the towns, villages and hamlets of the region, looking at Cheltenham and North; Cirencester, Stroud and South; Worcestershire and Warwickshire; and Oxfordshire.This historical guide offers a fascinating insight into the Cotswolds and will delight visitors and residents alike.

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As a person's religious convictions, especially in times past, can be considered fundamental to their character and behaviour, the nature of King Richard III's piety has been the subject of considerable debate. Much of this controversy has focused on the Book of Hours adopted by the king for his own private use following his coronation, and to which certain prayers, including that known as the Prayer of Richard III', were added.In The Hours of Richard III Ricardian experts Anne F. Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs explore the manuscript and the prayer's text. The manuscript (now preserved in Lambeth Palace Library) was originally produced in London around 1420 and the text shows the preoccupations of a devout man of the fifteenth century, while its decoration showcases the development of London manuscript illumination during that period. Moreover, in this analysis of the manuscript, the authors offer an insight into the personality of Richard III, one of

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Ghosts walk in the open and infidelities are conducted in plain sight. Two teenagers walk along a perfect beach in the anticipation of a first kiss. Time stops for nothing – not even for death. Sometimes time cracks, disrupting a fragile equilibrium. The stories are peopled with locals and incomers, sailors and land dwellers; a diver searches the deep for what she has lost, and forbidden lovers meet in secret places. Throughout, the writers’ words reveal a love of the incomparable Cornish landscape. This bold and striking new anthology showcases Cornwall’s finest contemporary writers, combining established and new voices, including: Philipa Aldous, Cathy Galvin, Anastasia Gammon,Tim Hannigan, Clare Howdle, Adrian Markle, Tim Martindale, Candy Neubert, Felicity Notley, Sarah Perry, S. Reid, Alan Robinson, Rob Magnuson Smith, Katherine Stansfield, Emma Staughton, Sarah Thomas, Emma Timpany,Tom Vowler, Elaine Ruth White.

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The Last Days of Richard III contains a new and uniquely detailed exploration of Richard’s last 150 days. By deliberately avoiding the hindsight knowledge that he will lose the Battle of Bosworth Field, we discover a new Richard: no passive victim, awaiting defeat and death, but a king actively pursuing his own agenda. It also re-examines the aftermath of Bosworth: the treatment of Richard’s body; his burial; and the construction of his tomb. And there is the fascinating story of why, and how, Richard III’s family tree was traced until a relative was found, alive and well, in Canada. Now, with the discovery of Richard’s skeleton at the Greyfrairs Priory in Leicester, England, John Ashdown-Hill explains how his book inspired the dig and completes Richard III’s fascinating story, giving details of how Richard died, and how the DNA link to a living relative of the king allowed the royal body to be identified.

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Crecy, Agincourt, Blenheim, Trafalgar, Waterloo, El Alamein – the names trip off the tongue and resound through our history. Great British military victories, often won against the odds. But what of the defeats and disasters – from our conquest by Roman armies to the fall of Singapore in 1942, described by Churchill as the ‘worst disaster’ in our military history. This is the story of those disasters, and the ones in between. From famous battles like Hastings and Yorktown, to those that are less well-known but had far-reaching consequences, such as Castillon. Others, like the Battle of the Medway in 1667, which were deeply shameful – ‘a dishonour never to be wiped off’ – but had relatively little long term impact. Sometimes, a brilliant retreat helped prevent an even greater calamity, as at Gallipoli and Dunkirk. It is an epic story following British armies and navies across the world to France, Africa, North and South America and the Far East. It is a tale of bungling, miscalculation, unpreparedness and heroism.

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From reports of haunted castles, stately halls, hotels, public houses, Roman forts, stone circles and even England’s deepest lake, to heart-stopping accounts of apparitions, poltergeists and related supernatural phenomena, Ghostly Cumbria investigates twenty of the most haunted locations to be found in the area today. Drawing on historical and contemporary sources, this selection includes a phantom friar said to walk the lanes near Grey Friars Lodge Hotel in Clappersgate; the ghost of Mary, Queen of Scots at Carlisle Castle; a cavalier at Moresby Hall in Whitehaven; and several ghosts at the Kirkstone Pass Inn at Ambleside, including a young boy killed by a coach outside the building, a young woman who died whilst travelling along the road during a snow storm, and a seventeenth-century coachman who lurks around the bar. Illustrated with sixty photographs, together with access details for each location, this book will appeal to all those interested in finding out more about Cumbria’s haunted heritage.

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No-one could have imagined what a revolutionary change the dawning of the railway age would have on the British countryside and its inhabitants. Somerset was no exception: the Great Western Railway, the London and South Western Railway, and the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway operated many services throughout this beautiful county. In the age of steam and in later days these companies gave communities employment and security; their stations, crossing and engine sheds transformed the landscape and their locomotives were objects of admiration. This book aims to give the reader a chance to look back at scenes and locations that were once so common over a wonderful railway network. Stations such as Chard Junction, Milborne Port, Wellow, Chilcompton and Binegar are depicted. Somerset Railways also examines the countless trains that passed by in the age of steam: the Devon Belle and the Pines Express. Enriched by a wealth of photographs of staff from all walks of railway life, this book is a tribute to those railway workers and to the vibrant Somerset railway system that they served.

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Drawing on a wide selection of sources and illustrated with more than sixty photographs, this collection of grisly tales explores the darker side of the Lake District's past. It features the tale of the 'Keswick Imposter', who seduced and bigamously married a young lady of Buttermere before being hanged at Castile for fraud, a story which was the inspiration for Melvyn Bragg's The Maid of Buttermere. Also included is the account of an eighteenth-century gang who repeatedly tried to kidnap a wealthy (but alcoholic) landowner and marry him to a prostitute in order to lay their hands on his fortune. With murders, hangings, kidnap and violence, Murder & Crime in the Lake District is sure to captivate and horrify anyone interested in the criminal history of the area.

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Illustrated with 200 photographs and postcards, many of which have never before been published, this fascinating selection of archive images charts many changes which have taken place in Bodmin during the last 100 years. Images of shops which have ceased trading and buildings that have been demolished feature alongside vistas of great houses, churches, Bodmin Gaol and timeless Bodmin moor. Each image is accompanied by text providing a wealth of historical detail on this area of Cornwall.

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